Non-transgenic tomato varieties having increased shelf life post-harvest

ABSTRACT

A series of independent human-induced, non-transgenic mutations found in at least one non-ripening (NOR) gene of tomato; tomato plants having these mutations in at least one of their NOR genes; and a method of creating and identifying similar and/or additional mutations in the NOR gene by screening pooled and/or individual tomato plants. The tomato plants of the present invention exhibit fruit that ripen more slowly, rot more slowly, are firmer, and have a longer shelf life post-harvest as a result of non-transgenic mutations in at least one of their NOR genes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/123,391filed Apr. 8, 2011, which is a United States §371 National Phaseapplication of PCT/US2009/060235, filed Oct. 9, 2009, both of whichclaim the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/104,628, filedOct. 10, 2008, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was made with Government support under Contract No.W911QY-07-C-0121 awarded by the United States Department of Defense. TheGovernment has certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to novel human-induced, non-transgenic mutationsof the non-ripening (NOR) gene of tomatoes and tomato plants having suchnon-transgenic mutations in at least one of their NOR gene sequences.This invention further relates to tomatoes that ripen more slowly, rotmore slowly, are firmer, and have a longer shelf life post-harvest as aresult of human-induced, non-transgenic mutations in at least one oftheir NOR genes. This invention also relates to a method that utilizesnon-transgenic means to create tomatoes having mutations in at least oneof their NOR genes.

BACKGROUND

One of the main challenges facing today's tomato industry is how todeliver to a processing plant or to the marketplace tomato fruit thathave been vine-ripened (and thus are desirable to consumers in terms oftaste, texture, and color), but that remain firm without the usualpost-harvest ripening-related softening that reduces shelf life ofharvested fruit. Using traditional breeding methods, which are verylabor intensive, it could take years to develop a novel tomato varietythat ultimately may display only a modest increase in shelf life.Instead, recent studies have utilized genetic and biochemical techniquesin an effort to identify the factors that regulate fruit ripening. Byidentifying and modifying the expression of specific genes, researchersand breeders hope to develop new tomato varieties that have thedesirable qualities of vine-ripened fruit, but that are resistant topost-harvest softening and therefore display an extended shelf life.

Ripening is a complex process involving numerous physiological andbiochemical changes including changes in color, firmness, sugar content,and pathogen resistance. Post-harvest ripening limits the shelf life offresh produce, such as tomatoes. Several genes involved in the ripeningprocess have been identified by analysis of single locus mutations thatresult in a non-ripening phenotype. One of these genes has been calledNOR after a naturally occurring mutation at the nor (non-ripening) locusof tomato. The non-ripening phenotype results from a 2 base pairdeletion in the NOR gene, which causes a frame shift that affects NORprotein synthesis (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,347). This NOR deletionmutation severely impairs tomato fruit ripening and causes a broad rangeof undesirable traits that have proven difficult to eliminate throughtraditional breeding. It is the only characterized mutation in the NORgene of tomato. NOR is a member of the NAC protein family, a largefamily of plant-specific transcription factors involved in multipledevelopmental processes, including formation of shoot apical meristem,floral organs, lateral shoots, hormone control and defense mechanisms,and programmed cell death. The structure of the DNA-binding NAC domainhas recently been determined (Ernst et al., EMBO Reports 5(3):297-303,2004; Olsen et al., Trends in Plant Science, 10(2):79-97, 2005).

Standard breeding methods have utilized the NOR deletion mutation intomatoes (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,854). The usefulness of this deletionmutation is limited however since these mutant fruit fail to ripennormally. While the NOR deletion mutant fruit may have an increasedshelf life, they have decreased sensory qualities (e.g., impairedflavor, aroma, and color) compared to wild type fruit which makes thenor deletion mutant fruit less appealing to consumers. Fruit that arehomozygous for the NOR deletion mutation fail to ripen and remain hardand green. Breeders have attempted to use the NOR deletion mutation inthe heterozygous state to develop firmer fruit. Even fruit that areheterozygous for the NOR deletion mutation fail to fully develop the redcolor and sensory qualities that consumers desire in ripened fruit.

To date, other useful characterized mutations in the NOR gene of tomatoare not available. Because NOR exerts pleiotropic effects, it would beuseful to have an allelic series of mutations in the NOR gene thatprovide a spectrum of firmness and color phenotypes that could be usedto optimize the breeding of extended shelf life tomato varieties thatretain many of the quality traits of vine-ripened tomatoes. Additionaluseful NOR mutations would include those that increase shelf life but donot affect flavor, aroma and color as adversely as the naturallyoccurring nor deletion mutation. Tomato lines with NOR mutations thathave been genetically characterized could also be crossed with linesthat carry mutations in other genes involved in ripening.

In addition to standard breeding methods utilizing the nor mutation,transgenic approaches that targeted the NOR gene (see U.S. Pat. No.6,762,347; U.S. Patent Application No. 20050076410) have been proposedfor tomato fruit development. However, public acceptance of geneticallymodified plants, particularly with respect to plants used for food, isnot universal. Because a cultivated tomato that is resistant topost-harvest softening and has improved shelf life with quality traitsacceptable to consumers would be useful, an allelic series of novelmutations in the NOR gene of tomato were created. A cultivated tomatowith reduced fruit softening as a result of altered NOR that was not theresult of genetic engineering would have tremendous value for the tomatoindustry, including fresh market tomatoes, processor tomatoes and tomatofood products such as sliced tomatoes, canned tomatoes, ketchups, soups,sauces, juices and pastes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, this invention includes atomato plant having tomato fruit with increased firmness, reduced rotrate, and increased shelf life post-harvest compared to wild type tomatofruit due to a human-induced, non-transgenic mutation in the NOR gene,as well as fruit, seeds, pollen, plant parts and progeny of that plant.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, this invention includesa tomato plant having tomato fruit that ripen more slowly post-harvestcompared to wild type tomato fruit due to a human-induced non-transgenicmutation in the NOR gene, as well as fruit, seeds, pollen, plant partsand progeny of that plant.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, this invention includesfood and food products incorporating tomato fruit having increasedfirmness, reduced rot rate, and increased shelf life post-harvest causedby a human-induced non-transgenic mutation in the NOR gene.

In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, this inventionincludes a tomato plant having fruit with increased shelf life comparedto wild type tomato fruit created by the steps of obtaining plantmaterial from a parent tomato plant, inducing at least one mutation inat least one copy of a NOR gene of the plant material by treating theplant material with a mutagen to create mutagenized plant material,culturing the mutagenized plant material to produce progeny tomatoplants, analyzing progeny tomato plants to detect at least one mutationin at least one copy of a NOR gene, selecting progeny tomato plants thathave fruit with extended shelf life compared to the parent tomato plant;and repeating the cycle of culturing the progeny tomato plants toproduce additional progeny plants having extended shelf life.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEQUENCE LISTING

SEQ ID NO: 1 shows a Solanum lycopersicum NAC domain protein (NAC-NOR)gene, NAC-NOR-NOR allele, complete cds (NCBI Accession Number AY573803).

SEQ ID NO: 2 shows the protein encoded by SEQ ID NO: 1 (NCBI AccessionNumber AAU43922).

SEQ ID NOs: 3-8 show the DNA sequences for the Solanum lycopersicum NORspecific PCR primers used to detect the mutations of the presentinvention.

A substitute sequence listing is herein incorporated by reference to thematerial contained in the associated file, entitled,“substitutesequencelist.txt,” submitted herewith, created on Apr. 5,2011, and comprising 8.72 kb in size.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the present inventionprovides tomatoes that have an extended shelf life as compared to wildtype tomatoes due to a mutation in at least one of their NOR genes andwithout the inclusion of foreign nucleic acids in the tomatoes' genomes.In accordance with other exemplary embodiments, the present inventionprovides a series of independent non-transgenic mutations in the NORgene; tomatoes having these mutations in at least one of their NORgenes; and a method of creating and identifying similar and/oradditional mutations in the NOR gene of tomatoes.

In order to create and identify the NOR mutations and tomatoes of thepresent invention, the present inventors utilized a method known asTILLING. See McCallum et al., Nature Biotechnology 18:455-457, 2000;McCallum et al., Plant Physiology 123:439-442, 2000; Colbert et al.,Plant Physiology 126:480-484, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,075 and U.S.Publication No. 20040053236, all of which are incorporated herein byreference. In the basic TILLING methodology, plant material, such asseed, is subjected to chemical mutagenesis, which creates a series ofmutations within the genomes of the seeds' cells. The mutagenized seedsare grown into adult M1 plants and self-pollinated. DNA samples from theresulting M2 plants are pooled and are then screened for mutations in agene of interest. Once a mutation is identified in a gene of interest,the seeds of the M2 plant carrying that mutation are grown into adult M3plants and screened for the phenotypic characteristics associated withthe gene of interest.

Any cultivar of tomato having at least one NOR gene with substantialhomology to SEQ ID NO: 1 may be used in accordance with the presentinvention. As used herein, “substantial homology” means that the DNAsequence of the gene is sufficiently similar to SEQ ID NO: 1 at thenucleotide level to code for the equivalent protein as SEQ ID NO: 1,allowing for allelic differences between cultivars. In accordance withone aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the invention, “substantialhomology” may be present when the homology between the NOR gene and SEQID NO: 1 is as low as about 85%, provided that the homology in theconserved regions of the gene is higher (e.g., at least about 90%).Preferably, the percent identity in the coding region is 85-90%, morepreferably 90-95%, and optimally, it is above 95%. One of skill in theart may prefer a tomato cultivar having commercial popularity or onehaving specific desired characteristics in which to create theNOR-mutated tomatoes. Alternatively, one of skill in the art may prefera tomato cultivar having few polymorphisms, such as an in-bred cultivar,in order to facilitate screening for mutations within the NOR loci.

In accordance with one aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, seeds from tomatoes were mutagenized and then grown into M1plants. The M1 plants were then allowed to self-pollinate and seeds fromthe M1 plant were grown into M2 plants, which were then screened formutations in their NOR locus. While M1 plants may be screened formutations, an advantage of screening the M2 plants is that all somaticmutations correspond to the germline mutations. One of skill in the artwould recognize that a variety of tomato plant materials, including, butnot limited to, seeds, pollen, plant tissue or plant cells, may bemutagenized in order to create the NOR-mutated tomatoes of the presentinvention. However, the type of plant material mutagenized may affectwhen the plant DNA is screened for mutations. For example, when pollenis subjected to mutagenesis prior to pollination of a non-mutagenizedplant, the seeds resulting from that pollination are grown into M1plants. Every cell of the M1 plants will contain mutations created inthe pollen, thus these M1 plants may then be screened for NOR mutationsinstead of waiting until the M2 generation.

Mutagens that create primarily point mutations and short deletions,insertions, transversions, and or transitions (about 1 to about 5nucleotides), such as chemical mutagens or radiation, may be used tocreate the mutations of the present invention. Mutagens conforming withthe method of the present invention include, but are not limited to,ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), methylmethane sulfonate (MMS),N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea (ENU), triethylmelamine (TEM),N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU), procarbazine, chlorambucil,cyclophosphamide, diethyl sulfate, acrylamide monomer, melphalan,nitrogen mustard, vincristine, dimethylnitosamine,N-methyl-N′-nitro-Nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), nitrosoguanidine,2-aminopurine, 7, 12 dimethyl-benz(a)anthracene (DMBA), ethylene oxide,hexamethylphosphoramide, bisulfan, diepoxyalkanes (diepoxyoctane (DEO),diepoxybutane (BEB), and the like),2-methoxy-6-chloro-9[3-(ethyl-2-chloro-ethyl)aminopropylamino]acridinedihydrochloride (ICR-170), and formaldehyde. Spontaneous mutations inNOR that may not have been directly caused by the mutagen can also beidentified in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention.

Any suitable method of plant DNA preparation now known or hereafterdevised may be used to prepare the tomato plant DNA for NOR mutationscreening. For example, see Chen and Ronald, Plant Molecular BiologyReporter 17:53-57, 1999; Stewart and Via, Bio Techniques 14:748-749,1993. Additionally, several commercial kits are available, includingkits from Qiagen (Valencia, Calif.) and Qbiogene (Carlsbad, Calif.).

In accordance with one aspect of an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, DNA samples from individual tomato plants are prepared andthen pooled in order to expedite screening for mutations in NOR of theentire population of plants originating from the mutagenized planttissue. The size of the pooled group may be dependent upon thesensitivity of the screening method used. In accordance with one aspectof an exemplary embodiment of the invention, groups of four or moreindividual tomato plants are pooled.

In accordance with another aspect of an exemplary embodiment, after theDNA samples are pooled, the pools are subjected to NOR sequence-specificamplification techniques, such as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). For ageneral overview of PCR, see PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods andApplications (Innis, Gelfand, Sninsky, J., and White, eds.), AcademicPress, San Diego, 1990. Any primer specific to the NOR locus or thesequences immediately adjacent to the NOR locus may be utilized toamplify the NOR sequences within the pooled DNA sample. Preferably, theprimer is designed to amplify the regions of the NOR locus where usefulmutations are most likely to arise. Most preferably, the primer isdesigned to detect mutations in the coding region of the NOR gene.Additionally, it is preferable for the primer to avoid known polymorphicsites in order to ease screening for point mutations. To facilitatedetection of PCR products on a gel, the PCR primer may be labeled usingany conventional or hereafter devised labeling method.

Exemplary primers (SEQ ID NOs: 3-8) that have proven useful inidentifying useful mutations within the NOR sequence are shown below inTable 1. These primers are also detailed in the Sequence Listingappended hereto.

TABLE 1 PCR primers specific for the NOR  gene in tomato. SEQ PRIMER IDNAME SEQUENCE 3 NORA-3193 tgaattcaggtcaactcaaaca tcgtaaattg 4 NORA-3194aattcactttttacacgttatc gtggatatcttttg 5 NORB-3195 aaagtagtggacaaacataaagtagtggacccataa 6 NORB-3196 tgaaagttgaatcaagtcatct acaacaacaaca 7NORC-3235 aatgaaaatcctgaatcggcca ctaactttaac 8 NORC-3236atgattgattgatcgattgatt ttacagggcta

In accordance with one aspect of an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, the PCR amplification products may be screened for NORmutations using any method that identifies nucleotide differencesbetween wild type and mutant sequences. These may include, withoutlimitation, sequencing, denaturing high pressure liquid chromatography(dHPLC), constant denaturant capillary electrophoresis (CDCE),temperature gradient capillary electrophoresis (TGCE) (see Li et al.,Electrophoresis 23(10):1499-1511, 2002), or by fragmentation usingenzymatic cleavage, such as used in the high throughput method describedby Colbert et al., Plant Physiology 126:480-484, 2001. Preferably, thePCR amplification products are incubated with an endonuclease thatpreferentially cleaves mismatches in heteroduplexes between wild typeand mutant sequences. In accordance with another aspect of an exemplaryembodiment, cleavage products are electrophoresed using an automatedsequencing gel apparatus, and gel images are analyzed with the aid of astandard commercial image-processing program.

The present inventors have determined that to achieve reducedpost-harvest softening in tomatoes, mutations that alter NOR functionare desirable. Preferred mutations include missense, nonsense and splicejunction changes, including mutations that prematurely truncate thetranslation of the NOR protein from messenger RNA, such as thosemutations that create a stop codon within the coding regions of the NORgene. Such mutations include insertions, repeat sequences, modified openreading frames (ORFs) and, most preferably, point mutations.

In accordance with yet another aspect of an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, once an M2 plant having a mutated NOR sequence is identified,the mutations are analyzed to determine its affect on the expression,translation, and/or activity of the protein. In accordance with oneexemplary embodiment, the PCR fragment containing the mutation issequenced, using standard sequencing techniques, in order to determinethe exact location of the mutation in relation to the overall NORsequence. Each mutation is evaluated in order to predict its impact onprotein function (i.e., completely tolerated to loss-of-function) usingbioinformatics tools such as SIFT (Sorting Intolerant from Tolerant; Nget al., Nucleic Acids Research 31:3812-3814, 2003), PSSM(Position-Specific Scoring Matrix; Henikoff and Henikoff, ComputerApplications in the Biosciences 12:135-143, 1996) and PARSESNP (Taylorand Greene, Nucleic Acids Resarch 31:3808-3811, 2003). For example, aSIFT score that is less than 0.05 and a large change in PSSM score(e.g., roughly 10 or above) indicate a mutation that is likely to have adeleterious effect on protein function.

In accordance with a further aspect of an exemplary embodiment, if theinitial assessment of a mutation in an M2 plant indicates it to be of auseful nature and in a useful position within the NOR gene, then furtherphenotypic analysis of the tomato plant containing that mutation ispursued. First, the M2 plant is backcrossed or outcrossed twice tocreate a BC1 plant in order to eliminate background mutations. Then thebackcrossed or outcrossed BC1 plant is self-pollinated in order tocreate a BC1F2 plant that is homozygous for the NOR mutation.

Several physical characteristics of these homozygous NOR mutant plantsare assessed to determine if the mutation results in a useful phenotypicchange in the tomato. Mutant NOR tomatoes are evaluated post-harvest forseveral traits including rate of ripening, firmness, rot rate and shelflife compared to normal (e.g., wild type) parental tomatoes or to wildtype sibling control tomatoes. Evaluations can be performed duringstorage. Examples of standard storage conditions include roomtemperature storage (approximately 68° F./20° C.) or refrigeratedstorage (approximately 55° F./13° C.). Normal fruit ripens on the vineor during storage such that the color of the tomato changes from lightgreen to red. As this change occurs, the fruit tends to become softersuch that compression under a specified weight becomes greater and/orthe force required to depress the surface of the fruit a specifieddistance becomes less. See Cantwell, Report to the California TomatoCommission: Tomato Variety Trials: Postharvest Evaluations for 2001;Edan et al., J. Food Science 62(4): 793-796, 1997; Errington et al.,Postharvest Biology and Technology 11: 141-147, 1997; Lesage andDestain, Postharvest Biology and Technology 8: 45-55, 1996. For lycopenemeasurements, see Alba et al., Plant Physiology 123:363-370, 2000.

The following novel mutations identified in Table 2 are exemplary of themutations created and identified according to various embodiments of thepresent invention. The only previously reported mutation in the NORgene—the nor two base pair deletion mutation (U.S. Pat. No.6,762,347)—results in a frameshift beginning at the glutamine at aminoacid 183 according to SEQ ID NO: 2 that ends in a truncation (stop*)four amino acids later (QRSID to QVHR*).

TABLE 2 Examples of novel mutations created and identified in the NORgene of tomato. Nucleotide Amino Acid (a.a.) Amino Acid (a.a.) MutationMutation Mutation Type of Primer EMS According to According to Accordingto Mutation Variety SEQ IDs. Treatment SEQ ID NO: 1 SEQ ID NO: 2 SEQ IDNO: 2 Missense Shady B 0.8% G995A G68E glycine to Lady glutamic acid ata.a. 68 Missense NC84173 B 1.2% G1048A A86T alanine to threonine at a.a.86 Truncation NC84173 C 1.2% C2277T Q206* glutamine to (stop) stop ata.a. 206 Missense NC84173 C 1.2% G2425A G255D glycine to aspartic acidat a.a. 255 Truncation Shady C 0.8% G2434A W258* tryptophan to (stop)Lady stop at a.a. 258 Missense Shady C 0.6% G2646C E329Q glutamic acidLady to glutamine at a.a. 329 Missense NC84173 C 1.2% G2673T G338Wglycine to tryptophan at a.a. 338

The nomenclature used in the Table 2 indicates the wild type nucleotideor amino acid, followed by its position according to the referenced SEQID NO, followed by the changed nucleotide or amino acid at that positionusing standard genetic code terminology (see specific examples below).

The following Examples are offered by way of illustration only, and notlimitation. It is to be understood that the mutations below are merelyexemplary and that similar mutations are also contemplated.

EXAMPLE 1 Mutagenesis

In one embodiment of the present invention, tomato seeds of cultivarsShady Lady (hybrid) and NC84173 were vacuum infiltrated in H₂O(approximately 1,000 seeds/100 ml H₂O for approximately 4 minutes). Theseeds were then placed on a shaker (45 rpm) in a fume hood at ambienttemperature. The mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) was added to theimbibing seeds to final concentrations ranging from about 0.1% to about1.6% (v/v) in accordance with one aspect of an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. Following a 6 to 24-hour incubation period, the EMSsolution was replaced 4 times with fresh H₂O. The seeds were then rinsedunder running water for approximately 1 hour. Finally, the mutagenizedseeds were planted (96/tray) in potting soil and allowed to germinateindoors. Plants that were four to six weeks old were transferred to thefield to grow to fully mature M1 plants. The mature M1 plants wereallowed to self-pollinate and then seeds from the M1 plant werecollected and planted to produce M2 plants.

DNA Preparation

DNA from these M2 plants produced in accordance with the abovedescription was extracted and prepared in order to identify which M2plants carried a mutation at their NOR loci. The M2 plant DNA wasprepared using the methods and reagents contained in the Qiagen(Valencia, Calif.) DNeasy 96 Plant Kit. Approximately 50 mg of frozenplant sample was placed in a sample tube with a tungsten bead, frozen inliquid nitrogen and ground 2 times for 1 minute each at 20 Hz using theRetsch Mixer Mill MM 300. Next, 400 μl of solution AP1 [Buffer AP1,solution DX and RNAse (100 mg/ml)] at 80° C. was added to the sample.The tube was sealed and shaken for 15 seconds. Following the addition of130 μl. Buffer AP2, the tube was shaken for 15 seconds. The samples wereplaced in a freezer at minus 20° C. for at least 1 hour. The sampleswere then centrifuged for 20 minutes at 5,600×g. A 400 μl aliquot ofsupernatant was transferred to another sample tube. Following theaddition of 600 μl of Buffer AP3/E, this sample tube was capped andshaken for 15 seconds. A filter plate was placed on a square well blockand 1 ml of the sample solution was applied to each well and the platewas sealed. The plate and block were centrifuged for 4 minutes at5,600×g. Next, 800 μl of Buffer AW was added to each well of the filterplate, sealed and spun for 15 minutes at 5,600×g in the square wellblock. The filter plate was then placed on a new set of sample tubes and80 μl of Buffer AE was applied to the filter. It was capped andincubated at room temperature for 1 minute and then spun for 2 minutesat 5,600×g. This step was repeated with an additional 80 μl Buffer AE.The filter plate was removed and the tubes containing the pooledfiltrates were capped. The individual samples were then normalized to aDNA concentration of 5 to 10 ng/μl.

Tilling

The M2 DNA was pooled into groups of four individuals. The DNAconcentration for each individual within the pool was 0.25 ng/μl with afinal concentration of 1 ng/μl for the entire pool. The pooled DNAsamples were arrayed on microtiter plates and subjected to gene-specificPCR.

PCR amplification was performed in 15 μl volumes containing 2.5 ngpooled DNA, 0.75× ExTaq buffer (Panvera®, Madison, Wis.), 2.6 mM MgCl₂,0.3 mM dNTPs, 0.3 μM primers, and 0.05U Ex-Taq (Panvera) DNA polymerase.PCR amplification was performed using an MJ Research thermal cycler asfollows: heat denaturation at 95° C. for 2 minutes; followed by 8 cyclesof “touchdown PCR” (94° C. for 20 seconds, followed by an annealing stepstarting at 68-70° C. for 30 seconds and decreasing 1° C. per cycle,then a temperature ramp increasing 0.5° C. per second to 72° C., andfollowed by 72° C. for 1 minute); then 25-45 more cycles of PCR (94° C.for 20 seconds, 61-63° C. for 30 seconds, a ramp increasing 0.5° C. persecond up to 72° C., 72° C. for 1 minute); and finally extension,denaturation and re-annealing steps (72° C. for 8 minutes; 98° C. for 8minutes; 80° C. for 20 seconds; followed by 60 cycles of 80° C. for 7seconds decreasing 0.3° C. per cycle).

The PCR primers (MWG Biotech, Inc., High Point, N.C.) were mixed asfollows:

9 μl 100 μM IRD-700 labeled left primer

1 μl 100 μM left primer

10 μl 100 μM right primer

The IRD-700 label can be attached to either the right or left primer.Preferably, the labeled to unlabeled primer ratio is 9:1. Alternatively,Cy5.5 modified primers or IRD-800 modified primers could be used.Additionally, both primers could be labeled simultaneously withdistinguishable labels such as IRD-700 and IRF-800. In the presentinvention, the IRD-700 label was coupled to the oligonucleotide usingconventional phosphoramidite chemistry.

PCR products (15 μl) were digested in 96-well plates. Next, 30 μl of asolution containing 10 mM HEPES[4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid] (pH 7.5), 10 mMMgSO₄, 0.002% (w/v) Triton X-100, 20 ng/ml of bovine serum albumin, andCEL 1 (Transgenomic, Inc.; 1:100,000 dilution) was added with mixing onice, and the plate was incubated at 45° C. for 15 min. The specificactivity of the CEL 1 was 800 units/μl, where a unit was defined by themanufacturer as the amount of enzyme required to produce 1 ng ofacid-soluble material from sheared, heat denatured calf thymus DNA at pH8.5 in one minute at 37° C. Reactions were stopped by addition of 10 μlof a 2.5 M NaCl solution with 0.5 mg/ml blue dextran and 75 mM EDTA,followed by the addition of 80 μl isopropanol. The reactions wereprecipitated at 80° C., spun at 4,000 rpm for 30 minutes in an EppendorfCentrifuge 5810. Pellets were resuspended in 8 μl of 33% formamide with0.017% bromophenol blue dye, heated at 80° C. for 7 minutes and then at95° C. for 2 minutes. Samples were transferred to a membrane comb usinga comb-loading robot (MWG Biotech). The comb was inserted into a slabacrylamide gel (6.5%), electrophoresed for 10 min, and removed.Electrophoresis was continued for 4 hours at 1,500-V, 40-W, and 40-mAlimits at 50° C.

During electrophoresis, the gel was imaged using a LI-COR (Lincoln,Nebr.) scanner, which was set at a channel capable of detecting the IRDye 700 label. The gel image showed sequence-specific pattern ofbackground bands common to all 96 lanes. Rare events, such as mutations,create new bands that stand out above the background pattern. Plantswith bands indicative of mutations of interest were evaluated by TILLINGindividual members of a pool mixed with wild type DNA and thensequencing individual PCR products. Plants carrying mutations confirmedby sequencing were grown up as described above (e.g., the M2 plant wasbackcrossed or outcrossed twice in order to eliminate backgroundmutations and self-pollinated in order to create a plant that washomozygous for the mutation).

Physical and Biochemical Measurements

Tomatoes Selected for Study

Individual tomatoes selected for study were picked from plants derivedfrom siblings of the same cross to preserve background phenotypes asmuch as possible. The plants and fruit were genotyped as homozygous forthe mutation, heterozygous for the mutation, or wild type. Genotypingwas performed using Taqman SNP Genotyping Assays (Applied Biosystems) todiscriminate the three different alleles of the NOR locus.

Evaluation of Sensory Qualities

In general, tomato fruit that had one or more mutant alleles in NOR weresimilar in sensory qualities to wild type control tomatoes, though theattainment of full flavor, color and aroma was delayed in tomatoes withNOR mutations due to their delayed ripening. This is an improvement overfruit with the original NOR deletion mutation described in U.S. Pat. No.6,762,347, which fail to fully develop the sensory qualities associatedwith ripe fruit. For example, fruit that were heterozygous for the W258*mutation were compared to wild type control fruit in a blind taste test.Tomatoes were stored at approximately 40° F. (4° C.) and approximately55° F. (13° C.) and evaluated every two weeks. Results showed that W258*heterozygous tomatoes were as acceptable in odor, quality offlavor-point balance, texture attributes and overall quality as wildtype control fruit. W258* heterozygous tomatoes were found to besuperior to wild type tomatoes at 40° F. (4° C.). At 55° F. (13° C.),taste testers ranked W258* heterozygous tomatoes as under ripe at 2weeks, fully ripe at 4 weeks, and slightly over ripe at 6 weekspost-harvest, whereas they ranked wild type control tomatoes as fullyripe at 2 weeks and over ripe at 4 and 6 weeks. Thus, W258* heterozygoustomatoes developed the full sensory profile and retained more qualityover time than wild type control tomatoes.

Measurement of Fruit Firmness

Fruit (homozygous, heterozygous, and/or wild type siblings) wereharvested at breaker stage and allowed to ripen at room temperature tolight red stage. After the light red stage, tomatoes were stored at 55°F. (13° C.). Firmness was measured using a model TA-XT Texture Analyzer(Texture Technologies, Scarsdale, N.Y). The amount of force required todepress the tomato fruit surface 5 mm was recorded for each sample.Fruit firmness was measured twice for each fruit, equatorially, at twotime points. The first two measurement locations were marked on thefruit, and subsequent measurements were taken at least 7 days later atdifferent equatorial locations. Thus, each fruit was depressed fourtimes. In general, time points were 7 days or increments of 7 daysapart. In general, tomato fruit that had one or more mutant alleles inNOR were more firm than wild type control fruit. Exemplary data frommeasurements at 21 or 28 days post-harvest at shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Exemplary data from measurement of fruit firmness. Data areexpressed in Newtons. Firmness After Firmness After 28 Sample 21 Days inStorage Days in Storage Mutation Genotype Size (X ± SEM) (X ± SEM) G68EHOM n = 14 11.6 ± 0.95 — WT n = 8  9.7 ± 0.92 — Q206* HOM n = 3 — 38.7 ±1.58 HET n = 3 — 12.0 ± 0.42 WT n = 3 — 10.3 ± 1.95 W258* HOM n = 1120.3 ± 1.63 — HET n = 33 11.6 ± 0.38 — WT n = 22  8.8 ± 0.30 —

Measurement of Rot Rate

Fruit for each genotype were harvested at the breaker stage of fruitdevelopment and ripened to red prior to commencing the study to ensurethat tomatoes of each type were at the same physiological age. Tomatoeswere stored at approximately 55° F. (13° C.) and evaluated on a weeklybasis for signs of rot. The rot rate was then calculated over time asthe percent of tomatoes exhibiting rot, and the number of days instorage until all fruit had rotted was recorded. The rot rate was thenused to extrapolate the number of days at which 50% of the fruit showedsigns of rot. Using both data points eliminates the effect of outliersand illustrates the progression of rot. Fruit homozygous for NORmutations were compared to fruit that were heterozygous for the NORmutations and/or wild type sibling controls.

In general, tomato fruit that had one or more mutant alleles in NORshowed a reduced rate of rot and increased shelf life compared to wildtype control fruit. Exemplary data for rot rate in three mutant linesare shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Exemplary data of measurement of rot rate. Days in Storage Daysin Storage Sample Until 50% of Until 100% of Mutation Genotype SizeFruit Rot Fruit Rot G68E HOM n = 14 56 75 WT n = 8 34 61 Q206* HOM n =3 >90 >90 HET n = 3 31 75 WT n = 3 23 50 W258* HOM n = 11 72 75 HET n =33 58 75 WT n = 22 31 43

Evaluation of Color

Tomato fruit color was measured analytically using a Minolta CR-400Chromameter. The a* values from the CIE L*a*b* color space measurementsgenerated by the instrument were used to provide quantitative values fordegree of ripening from green to red. The a* spectrum is the part of theCIE L*a*b* color space that defines the green (negative a*) to red(positive a*) color of any sample. For our purposes, the a* valuesspecifically define the developmental stage of the fruit of red-fruitedtomato cultivars. Tomatoes are considered to be ripe at the light redstage of development when the a* values are >20. Tomatoes at the pinkstage of development have values between 10 and 20. Turning tomatoeshave values between 0 and 10 and breaker and mature green tomatoes havenegative a* values.

Of the seven mutations examined, all except but one (Q206*) achieved amaximum color of light pink to red. One particularly useful mutation isG68E. Tomatoes that are homozygous for the G68E allele are firmer thanwild type tomatoes (11.6 versus 9.7) and have a reduced rate of rotcompared to wild type controls (21 and 14 days longer in storage beforereaching rot rates of 50% and 100%, respectively). Surprisingly, theG68E homozygous tomatoes attained an equivalent red color under 55° F.(13° C.) storage. Exemplary data for measurement of color are shown inTable 5.

TABLE 5 Exemplary data for measurement of color. Maximum Color MaximumColor Sample Stored at 55° F. Stored at 68° F. Mutation Genotype Size(13° C.) (20° C.) G68E HOM n = 14 29.1 — WT n = 8 27.5 — Q206* HOM n = 30.5 — HET n = 3 22.9 — WT n = 3 29.6 — W258* HOM n = 11 17.1  4.3 HET n= 33 29 30.6 WT n = 22 29.3 —

Identification and Evaluation of Mutation G68E

DNA from a tomato originating from seeds of cultivar Shady Lady thatwere incubated in 0.8% EMS was amplified using primers NORB-3195 andNORB-3196 (SEQ ID NOs: 5 and 6). The PCR amplification products werethen incubated with CEL 1 and electrophoresed. The electrophoresis gelimage showed a fragment that stood out above the background pattern forthe PCR amplification products. Therefore, it was likely that thisfragment contained a heteroduplex created by a mutation in a NORsequence. Sequence analysis of this fragment showed the mutation was a Gto A change at nucleotide 995 of SEQ ID NO: 1. This mutation correlateswith a change from glycine to glutamic acid at amino acid 68 of the NORprotein [SEQ ID NO: 2].

Tomatoes homozygous for the G68E mutation in their NOR gene ripen moreslowly, rot more slowly, are firmer and display a longer shelf lifepost-harvest than wild type sibling control tomatoes and have improvedcolor compared to the original NOR deletion mutant described in U.S.Pat. No. 6,762,347. Tomatoes heterozygous for the G68E mutation in theirNOR gene display a ripening rate that is intermediate between thehomozygous and wild type controls.

Identification and Evaluation of Mutation Q206*

DNA from a tomato originating from seeds of cultivar NC84173 that wereincubated in 1.2% EMS was amplified using primers NORC-3235 andNORC-3236 (SEQ ID NOs: 7 and 8). The PCR amplification products werethen incubated with CEL 1 and electrophoresed. The electrophoresis gelimage showed a fragment that stood out above the background pattern forthe PCR amplification products. Therefore, it was likely that thisfragment contained a heteroduplex created by a mutation in a NORsequence. Sequence analysis of this fragment showed the mutation was a Cto T change at nucleotide 2277 of SEQ ID NO: 1. This mutation correlateswith a change from glutamine at amino acid 206 of the NOR protein [SEQID NO: 2] to a stop codon.

Tomatoes homozygous for the Q206* mutation in their NOR gene reach theBreaker stage of fruit development, which indicates an initiation of theripening process. This observation differs from the original NORdeletion mutation described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,347 where fruit donot initiate ripening at all. In the heterozygous state, this mutationripens to the pink stage of development and fruit rot more slowly, arefirmer and display a longer shelf life post-harvest than wild typesibling control tomatoes.

Identification and Evaluation of Mutation W258*

DNA from a tomato originating from seeds of cultivar Shady Lady thatwere incubated in 0.8% EMS was amplified using primers NORC-3235 andNORC-3236 (SEQ ID NOs: 7 and 8). The PCR amplification products werethen incubated with CEL 1 and electrophoresed. The electrophoresis gelimage showed a fragment that stood out above the background pattern forthe PCR amplification products. Therefore, it was likely that thisfragment contained a heteroduplex created by a mutation in a NORsequence. Sequence analysis of this fragment showed the mutation was a Gto A change at nucleotide 2434 of SEQ ID NO: 1. This mutation correlateswith a change from tryptophan at amino acid 258 of the NOR protein [SEQID NO: 2] to a stop codon.

Tomatoes homozygous for the W258* mutation in their NOR gene ripen moreslowly, rot more slowly, are firmer and display a longer shelf lifepost-harvest than wild type sibling control tomatoes and have improvedcolor when allowed to ripen at 55° F. (13° C.) compared to the originalNOR deletion mutant described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,762,347. Tomatoes thatare heterozygous for the W258* mutation in their NOR gene display anintermediate phenotype between homozygous and wild type tomatoes andthus ripen more slowly, rot more slowly, are firmer and display a longershelf life post-harvest than wild type sibling control tomatoes, butunlike the homozygous tomatoes, these tomatoes ripen fully.

The above examples are provided to illustrate exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention but not limit its scope. Other variants of theinvention will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the artand are encompassed by the appended claims and all their equivalents.All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein arehereby incorporated by reference.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A non-ripening (NOR) gene from tomatocomprising a human-induced, non-transgenic C2277T mutation; wherein saidhuman-induced, non-transgenic C2277T mutation comprises a nucleotidechange within the NOR gene; wherein said nucleotide change is identifiedaccording to SEQ NO: 1; and wherein said NOR gene codes for a proteinhaving the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a truncation atamino acid
 206. 2. A tomato plant containing a human-induced,non-transgenic mutation within its NOR gene; wherein said human-induced,non-transgenic mutation is C2277T; wherein said human-induced,non-transgenic mutation comprises a nucleotide change within the NORgene; wherein said nucleotide change is identified according to SEQ IDNO: 1; and wherein said NOR gene codes for a protein having the aminoacid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 with a truncation at amino acid
 206. 3. Afruit, a seed, a pollen grain, a plant part, or the progeny of thetomato plant of claim 2; wherein the fruit, the seed, the pollen grain,the plant part, or the progeny comprises the mutation.
 4. A food or afood product comprising the fruit of claim
 3. 5. The tomato plant ofclaim 2, wherein expression of said mutation in the heterozygous stateresults in fruit that are firmer than wild type fruit and turn pink whenripened at standard storage conditions.
 6. A NOR protein from tomatocomprising a Q206* amino acid change; wherein said amino acid changeresults from a human-induced non-transgenic mutation in the NOR gene;wherein said amino acid change is identified according to SEQ ID NO: 2;and wherein said NOR protein has the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2with a truncation at amino acid
 206. 7. A tomato fruit comprising theNOR protein of claim
 6. 8. A food or a food product comprising thetomato fruit of claim
 7. 9. The tomato fruit of claim 7, whereinexpression of said amino acid change in its NOR protein in theheterozygous state results in fruit that are firmer than mild type fruitand turn pink when ripened at standard storage conditions.